You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
One aspect of moral and cultural life that has always exasperated me is the sheer inadvertence with which God seems to have sprinkled around the talent. Some of the worst people produce some of the best art. Picasso? Horrible man. But even if you reject Cubism, perhaps his principal achievement, you’ve got to admit when you look at his “rose period” that the man was just giganticially gifted. Salvador Dali? A lunatic. Norman Mailer? A loudmouth. Christopher Hitchens? Well, there you have it, really, haven’t you? Why would God permit such an obstinate, evangelizing atheist to write so well, to prove so charming, and to demonstrate such courage in the face of grave illness? What was He thinking?
All this came to mind when, going through a pile of old notes just now, I came across a paragraph I’d copied down sometime last year. The author is Ralph Wood, and the passage comes from his 2009 review, in National Review, of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor by Brad Gooch.
It came as almost a relief for Flannery O’Connor to find, as Gooch notes, that “you don’t have to be good to write well.” Far from encouraging O’Connor to live a self-indulgent life, neglecting the corporal works of mercy required by her Christianity, this insight enabled O’Connor to practice what [philsopher and theologian Jacques] Maritain called “the habit of art.” The word habit does not here refer to the daily routine of working at her typewriter for three hours, although this was indeed O’Connor’s regimen. Habitus, in Aquinas’s sense, means the formation of the mind and the will, the intellect and the heart, through long exercise and steady devotion to particular practices—in O’Connor’s case, to the rigorous requirements of her art.
You don’t have to be good to write well. And instead of responding to that finding with exasperation, as I do, O’Connor, somehow liberated, simply sat down and got to work. I remember now why I copied that down in the first place. Really, I was thinking, I must become more like O’Connor.
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May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Peter, there are many expressions in art, primarily art for the glory of God, art for the glory of oneself and, if one is Leo the Lion, "Ars gratia artis." (A bastardized MGM Latin for "Art for Art's Sake.")
It's like the questionable "art" that Andrew Klaven brought up yesterday. To what glory is that? Glory for himself. My response was parody, my art for the glory of telling the man he's a meshugana.
Edited on Sep 28, 2010 at 11:49amAug '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
A simple, and reductive, answer would be that God loves all of his children and that he gives us the benefits of his Grace even though we are unworthy of the gift.
But that neglects to bring to account the genuine merit of what these artists create, and the diligence with which they pursue their art. Rare indeed is the "talented" individual who does not labor long and hard to develop their craft. Work in pursuit of "the beautiful" or the "well done" is in itself a virtuous enterprise. While it may not be religious virtue, it is a kind of virtue and a valuable one.
Athletes strive for physical greatness, and often fail in spiritual or moral greatness, but their feats and the work it took to perform those feats should be acknowledged and praised.
So yes, let us criticize Hitchens for his evangelical atheism, but we should praise him for the diligence he has displayed in the development of his craft and the courage with which he faces death.
Virtue is virtue, inspired by religion or not, and how wonderful is it that moral lessons can be learned from those who are often immoral?
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Gore Vidal is the most repulsive, disgusting, obnoxious, vain, self-aggrandizing Jabba the Hut who ever put pen to paper.
And yet he's got skills. Darn.
Jun '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Flannery O'Connor is one of the greats. Her novels and short stories are superb, but my favorite work by her is her collected letters published as The Habit of Being. I'm not a great fan of books based on correspondence, but her letters are enchanting, spiritually stimulating, and funny. Her thoughts on suffering (she died of lupus at age 39) are profound.
It's true you don't have to be a good person to be a great writer or artist. But O'Connor proves you don't have to be bad to be great.
Edited on Sep 28, 2010 at 12:31pmRe: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Same here! I've always found her novels almost--what?--too compellingly lurid. But her letters? Purest gold, every one.
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Scott Reusser: Gore Vidal is the most repulsive, disgusting, obnoxious, vain, self-aggrandizing Jabba the Hut who ever put pen to paper.
And yet he's got skills. Darn. · Sep 28 at 12:27pm
I intend to commit this to memory, then, within mere moments of my admission into heaven (presuming, of course, that I get that far), recite it to St. Peter, asking him to explain quite how Vidal fits into The Plan. Actually, that'll be my second question. My first: Why God created mosquitoes.
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Nathaniel Wright:
Virtue is virtue, inspired by religion or not, and how wonderful is it that moral lessons can be learned from those who are often immoral? · Sep 28 at 12:21pm
Beautifully put, and of course I grant all you say. On the other hand, to name just one example of the problem, turning around the American economy would have proven a lot easier during the nineteen-eighties if the prose of John Kenneth Galbraith had been as muddled as his thought.
Edited on Sep 28, 2010 at 12:45pmMay '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Peter, your observation brought immediately to my mind a similar reaction one hears when inviting people to participate in religious activities. "I'm not good enough (or pious enough) to pray". They mistake the goal for a prerequisite. If you wait to be really "good" to start writing, or praying, or anything, you will never get underway, and you will not likely become good.
Sounds like Flannery unburdened herself of this idea and got into motion.
And, of course, some people write, paint, pray, sing or whatever, very well and never become "good people" in the sense that we recognize, but that too is a comfort.
Wonderful indeed. As Hamlet asked, "Use every man after his desert and who shall 'scape whipping?" If we cannot take moral lessons from sinful lips we would lack but a handful of teachers.
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
The Devil gets all the good tunes. I think it was part of the bargain. I mean, look at Don Giovanni. Sure it offically disapproves of him, but the stage comes alive somehow whenever that homicidal molester shows up.
Not to get too preachy, but did not our Lord often show more interest in sinners than in saints? Severus Snape was a far more compelling character than any of the supposed heroes of that series.
For some reason, we're supposed to be more interested in them. Right there in the Bible.
Aug '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Thanks Peter, for bringing this up. I've wondered about it for a very long time, but just had a flash of insight that puts my mind finally to rest. Tell me if you think this is not true:
Really gifted artists become so caught up in their art, often from a young age, that it distracts them from the hard work of being good. They receive attention and lavish praise from adults, and lose contact with painful realities and other people.
Great suffering - such as Beethoven's during his childhood, and then later due to serious health problems - often reconnects them to the depths of humanity and makes their work exponentially better. Beethoven's symphonies after he went deaf are his greatest.
Mozart's symphonies, operas, and piano concertos are vastly better and deeper after he was abandoned by his wife and was bankrupt, living off of loans from friends. His greatest works, Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute, Requiem, were written when he was very sick, even dying.
Worldly success makes it much harder - or impossible - to connect with Christ's pain and God's. Suffering is required, and the artist who genuinely suffers and works hard becomes sublime.
Jun '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
This thread reminds me of this thread. In the comments, I previously wrote:
Someone once told me that works created for the praise of man, no matter how exquisite, how perfect, how wonderous - such works pale in comparison to the simplest gifts created out of a humble heart for the glory of God.
As someone who longs for those gifts in the creative arts, and yet lacks them, I wrestle with this. In the end, though, I choose to enjoy the creative gifts of others - but endeavor to put the praise where it rightly belongs - to the Giver of those gifts.
Perhaps the value (or maybe quality) of the work should not be measured so much by the character of the producer, but rather by its impact (benefit) on the recipient. Then again, maybe not, because an artist's greatest work may fall flat on others' eyes. I find myself back where I began, I suppose, grateful that there are (and have been) those among us who have received and shared their gifts and talents, cultivating their skills with determination so that we may enjoy their benefits.
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Peter Robinson
Actually, that'll be my second question. My first: Why God created mosquitoes. · Sep 28 at 12:41pm
To make it crystal clear that redistribution sucks.
Well said.
As an amateur composer, writer and artist, I've always found art to be more discovery than creation. The best words, images and melodies come unbidden, as gifts from God, albeit often after long labors.
In the Catholic understanding, artists are offered a special insight into humanity's relationship with God. God did not create the world and then release it to operate independently. He is creating. He is actively involved in our every moment. God's creation is like the music of a singer's voice -- it is sustained by its creator. It ceases to exist if the singer stops.
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
My favorite quote concerning art comes from one of Beethoven's letters:
The best artists are never entirely satisfied with their works. They are humbled again and again when they hear the genius of others and when they fail to adequately express the messages burning within them.
It's good to always strive to be the best. It's not good to discard works for failing to meet that standard.
Besides, beauty and excellence can take so many forms that there is always more to explore. It's simply awe-inspiring how the same twelve notes on a piano can be employed to endless variety.
Jun '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
God distributes his gifts unequally so that we all know from the outset that they are his gifts. Think of the alternative, say, the best writers would also have to be the best Christians. If that premise were true than Christianity would become magic by other means.
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
I'm often reminded of the parable of the talents Jesus taught in Matthew and Luke. I don't think it's just about what great "art" people produce, I think it's about how they've invested that "art" which was given to them by the Ultimate Artist. Being a Christian, I tend to see thing with a longer view than just our earthly time. It makes me sad for those very talented artists who are "bad." I often wonder what more they could have done with their talents instead of being hampered by being "bad."
May '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Aaron Miller
Peter Robinson
Actually, that'll be my second question. My first: Why God created mosquitoes. · Sep 28 at 12:41pm
To make it crystal clear that redistribution sucks.
Unimprovable answer. Someone needs to pass this along to Dennis Prager, who's been asking that question for quite some time.
Aug '10
Re: You Don't Have To Be Good? Darn
Assuming Picasso was a good artist, three verses come to mind:
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. - Matthew 5:45
and
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28
and
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
The Church forgets God's common grace (Matt 5:45), ignores the promise of Romans 8:28, that God uses whatever means he desires to bring about his ends and settles for mediocrity in music (CCM), art (Thomas Kincaid) and literature & movies (Left Behind series) rather than training itself to appreciate and understand artists like Georges Rouault, musicians like Bach and Isaac Watts, and writers like Chesterton, Percy, & P.D. James.
Mars Hill Audio is a great remedy.